Smell of Change…

Archive for the month “October, 2012”

Vikram Thapar or Vickey, as he was known in the socialites circle, was one of the most colourful personalities of the contemporary India.

He was a successful business tycoon who owned one of the biggest media conglomerates of India – ‘The Newswire Media Ltd.’ which had its presence in television, print media, internet portals and entertainment business in the country. Besides, he ran one of the biggest event management concerns of India which organized many national-international events like film festivals, beauty pageants, music concerts and cultural events. He was also into field of education and he owned a network of Management and Mass Communication education institutions across many cities. Recently, he had taken interests in production business of Bollywood movies as well.

‘The Newswire Ltd’ was known mainly for its Television and Newspaper business. It ran a news channel “Suchh” in Hindi which meant ‘truth’. It had the motto: ‘Nothing but Truth’. The ‘Suchh’ was the highest watched private news channel of India. The Group also had an entertainment channel ‘Family’, which produced and showed sop-operas in Hindi. Besides that, Vikram Thapar had purchased one of the oldest newspapers of India ‘The Indian Mirror’, which was in a dying state and in a span of 10 years, made it to be one of the highest selling dailies.

Vikram Thapar was sharp, witty, articulate and perspicacious who was known for his business acumen and audacious decisions.

‘The Newswire’ group was known for hiring the best professional in their respective fields and for paying them the best.

Vickey Thapar, who was a handsome man in his early 50’s, had a knack of being in news for all the favourable reasons. He carried an ubersexual image and spent fortunes on his looks and fitness. He was known for his flamboyant and hedonistic life styles. He was an idol for the socialites and was loved in the women’s circles. He had his own PR men working on innovative ideas around him. Recently, as per a society magazine survey, he was voted to be the man with the sexiest chest. The survey was carried on a sample of upper and upper-middle class society women of 6 biggest cities of India. The survey though disputed, had managed to give him a power position in the fashionable women’s circle.

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An excerpt of a conversation between a young-recruit and Vickey Thapar:

A young recruit asked from Vickey – “Mr. Thapar, how similar or different will be the ‘Mirror News’ from the ‘Suchh’?”

“In what respect?” Asked Vickey.

“Well, will it be a symbol of justice, ethics and moralities or it will be…”

“It will be a symbol of news.” He cut him short.

“Or that of an evil as is ‘The Suchh’?” He was bolder in his questions.

Vikram Thapar frowned; so did the faculty members and most of the other people present there. Devanjali looked at Thapar with bemusement.

“Do you doubt the fact that ‘The Suchh News’ has been a symbol of success?” Vikram asked, his frown intact.

The young man continued, unwavered – “Mr. Thapar, People dislike you as well as your news channel and take both as symbols of evil.”

Everyone present was stunned. The senior associates of Vickey tried to caution the young man by raising hands, but Vikram Thapar intervened –“No, no; that’s fine with me. I hate people who don’t differ with me when they need to. Yes, young man?”

“People think you’re trying to destroy everything that is good in society and trying to promote everything that is inimical to it. Well, I’m sorry to say but, Mr. Thapar, people hate you and your media policies.”

It was an uneasy silence for a moment. No one had ever heard any such thing being said on Vikram Thapar’s face.

Devanjali found it interesting. Unlike everyone, she was focussed on Vikram Thapar.

“Do they really?” Vikram’s countenance changed from stiffness to amusement – “How many of you present here believe that people hate me?”

No one made any indication to say anything except the young man who still sounded unapologetic – “That’s the general perception, Mr. Thapar.”

Vikram Thapar looked at the boy’s name plate – ‘Karan Kartikeyan’

“That’s not, Karan.” He countered –“It hurts me to see an intelligent young man fooling himself into the belief that the people hate me. It’s a ridiculous blunder which the millions in this country so blissfully do – the blunder of judging things at their face value. It’s a contemptuous act of misjudgement that stands unpardonable. Dear trainees, it’s exactly this kind of misjudgement which we want you to refrain from.”

All of his associates nodded in agreement.

Vikram came to his point – “People don’t hate me, Karan. The fact of the matter is that they’re envious – they’re envious of me, they’re envious of you and they’re envious of what we all are. Dear friends, in our society envy is considered uncultured; but whining is not, especially when it comes to whine against a successful person like me, it’s more of a social act; it wins you friends. That’s why people whine.”